CHOC Children's Blog » Uncategorized

Pertussis: What Parents Should Know

Choco — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:46:41 +0000

Pertussis has certainly been getting a lot of press lately, but what exactly is it? Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious infection of the respiratory tract caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, and young infants are particularly vulnerable. It’s transmitted through close respiratory contact with someone who is infected.

Some of the first symptoms in adults and children include, a runny nose, sneezing, a mild, dry cough, and slight fever.

As of June 30th, in California there have been 1,337 cases of pertussis reported in 2010, including five infant deaths – in what seems to be the worst year of pertussis that our state has seen in more than 50 years.

To protect our community against the current epidemic levels of whooping cough, experts at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) have reiterated the importance of getting vaccinated.

In addition to the typical series of childhood pertussis immunizations, CDPH now recommends an adolescent-adult pertussis booster vaccine (T-dap). Adults who have contact with children under the age of 12 months, particularly new moms, are among those recommended to get the T-dap.

Please visit the Orange County Health Care Agency website http://ochealthinfo.com/pertussis for the most up-to-date recommendations and vaccine availability for you and your family.

CHOC Children’s Celebrates Starlight Fun Center Donation

Choco — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:15:38 +0000

On July 10, CHOC Children’s had the privilege of hosting approximately 50 members of the Major League Baseball (MLB) organization, Starlight Children’s Foundation and Angels baseball for a ribbon-cutting ceremony in honor of a “Starlight Fun Center” donation to CHOC. The event was held during the exciting 2010 All-Star Game week. The big game, of course, was held at nearby Angels Stadium of Anaheim.

Patients mingled with future MLB players including Mike Trout, Luis Jimenez and Zack Britton, made crafts and played with the Starlight Fun Center. The Angels Strike Force girls and various team mascots joined in on the fun. CHOC is incredibly grateful for the mobile entertainment unit containing a gaming system, DVD player and flat screen that will provide countless hours of fun for our patients.

A child’s need to play is more than just fun and games. Through play, children learn about the world, expand their minds and stimulate their imagination. The Starlight Fun Center mobile entertainment system helps us create a happy and positive patient experience. As a distraction tool, it will help patients forget about their pain through fun play at bed side, before surgery or when in isolation rooms.

We thank the MLB, Angels baseball and Starlight Children’s Foundation for making such a generous and beneficial donation to CHOC Children’s!

OC Leaders Bring in Half a Million for CHOC

Choco — Tue, 05 May 2009 17:50:43 +0000

It’s never too late to share good news, right?? I just heard that the CHOC Follies XII “The Princess and the Prius,” which hit the stage in April, raised more than a half million for CHOC Children’s. I want to thank all of the wonderful community and business leaders who volunteered their valuable time to this year’s production. It was hilarious, by the way. If you missed it this year, make sure you tune in to get the dates for next year’s performance. It’s sure to be just as entertaining, plus it supports the most worthy cause – our children!